Packaging

1. Packaging is deceptive. Have you ever bought something that was buried in the middle of packaging that was ten times the size of the product? Odds are you have. Companies often use massive packaging for small products so that the consumer believes that they're getting more than they actually are. I find that electronic products, in particular, always seem like they're packaged with numerous accessories because their packages are so unecessarily large. What's even more frustrating for the consumer is that there's no way of knowing whether the packaging is deceptive or if the product and its accessories really are that large.

2. Over packaging is one of the main causes of litter. As discussed in the first article, our oceans are getting more and more polluted thanks to plastic packaging. The problem is that because plastic packaging is so cheap, companies neglect their recycling duties, instead taking the cheaper route of simply producing new plastic packaging. Germany's policy of forcing the companies to be responsible for the entire life of their packaging is not only a great step toward solving the problem of waste, but also sets a great example for the rest of the world. The only way to make these companies care about stopping pollution is to make it their own personal problem. Once they suffer financially for not recycling, they'll undoubtedly start caring.